Murder On Ice
by SpeedlesChic
Summary: When a young female ice skater is murdered Horatio and his team push to solve her murder. Meanwhile Speed and his wife Lauren get an unexpected surprise.
1. Chapter 1

Seventeen year old, champion junior ice skater, Christina Bart entered her home away from home, the Miami-Dade Ice Rink. It was six o'clock in the evening. Normally she had her practice times in the morning, but some issues had come up and Christina had asked to switch with her fellow ice skating friend, Allison Handler.

Mario Rivera, her coach wasn't happy about that. He liked a routine; change didn't exist in his vocabulary.

Christina sighed to herself as she walked into the woman's locker room to change into her skating clothes. Setting her stuff down, she headed into one of the bathroom stalls.

After changing into her practice clothes, Christina headed to the ice rink. She took a seat on one of the benches in the area, and began to dig through her duffle bag in search of her ice skates. Finding them she set the white skates on the floor then she looked up, and saw a horrifying sight. Allison, her best friend was lying in a pool of her own blood; she was dead.

Christina began to hyperventilate. Getting up she almost tripped over her skates. She ran back into the locker room and searched for her cell phone. Finding it she called 911. "911, what's your emergency?" the woman dispatcher asked.

"Uh… umm… my friend Allison is dead. Please can you help me, please!" Christina cried out.

"Okay miss, hold on I'll send someone out right now. Just try to relax. Help is on the way. Where are you presently located?"

Ignoring what the woman dispatcher said, Christina said, "I just talked to her earlier today and now she dead."

"I know honey, but I need you to give me your location so I can send some help."

"What? Oh yeah… um, I'm at the… the Miami-Dade Ice Rink. Does that help?"

"Yes it does. I need to ask you a few more questions, but help is on the way miss. I can stay on the line until they arrive if you would like." You didn't have to ask Christina twice; she didn't want to be alone.

* * *

><p>Lt. Horatio Caine arrived with a couple members his team along with Homicide Detective, Yelina Salas, and several backup officers. Horatio motioned for the women to head into the locker room first where Christina Bart had said she was.<p>

Yelina went in first followed by Lauren Speedle, Tim 'Speed' Speedle's wife. "Christina Bart! Miami-Dade Police, where are you?" Yelina yelled, their guns drawn.

"In here," she squeaked.

When Christina was able to speak and the surrounding areas were checked, she said, "I had asked Allison to switch with me because I had to take care of something. She agreed so here I am. If I hadn't switched with her then she wouldn't have been dead. She would still be alive. It's all my fault!" She started fiddling with her fingers as she looked down at the ground.

"Sweetheart, listen to me. It's not your fault. You did nothing wrong," Lt. Horatio Caine said sweetly. He looked at Speed and motioned for him to come with him for a moment. "Hey Speed, I'm going to have you and Lauren be the lead on this case, okay." Speed scrunched up his nose and made a face. "Speed, I know you want to go home and be with your family, but I need you and Lauren here. Eric, Calleigh, and Ryan are busy enough with their cases. I can't ask them to be lead on this."

"But, H," Speed protested. "Milo and Ava are going to think Lauren and I never want to be with them anymore… I miss my kids, Horatio."

"Speed, I know. I'm sorry, but my hands are tied."

Speed sighed. "I know, H. It's just sometimes I feel like I've been missing out on things. I mean Milo is already six and Ava just turned four."

"They grow up fast don't they?" Speed nodded. "Tell you what… do as much as you can tonight. I can have night shift take over if we need to." Speed agreed. "Okay, I'm going to go get Alexx, and have Christina show you where the scene is and process it. We'll question her later to give her time to calm down." He turned to look at the frightened seventeen year old. "Hang in there Christina, okay."


	2. Chapter 2

Allison Handler, lay face down on the ice in her own pool of blood. Lauren took out her camera and began to make photographs of the girl's body while Speed roughly sketched the crime scene. He was having a hard time keeping his balance on the ice with just plain shoes.

Lauren couldn't help but laugh at him. Lauren was used to the ice and learned what to wear and what not to wear, but also because she used to play hockey. She had quit after a knee injury and then shortly after she and Speed started their family. She missed playing. "Having a hard time standing, Speed?" Lauren asked with a silly grin on her face as she released the shutter on her camera.

"Shut up and just take the pictures," Speed said feeling his feet slip a little. "Can we get some kind of tarp to stand on?"

"Someone's testy," Lauren said laughing. In the background they both heard a small chuckle. Christina was sitting on a bench just fifteen feet from them. Speed gave Christina a look, and she stopped laughing.

"How come she's still here," Speed whispered. "Shouldn't she be taken to PD?"

Lauren snapped another photograph of Allison's body. "Speed, just relax alright. She's fine. Yelina is going to take her back in a little bit. Focus on the case in front of us."

Speed took a step closer to the Allison's body when he lost all control of his balance. He hit the ice hard. "Fuck," he said gasping for air. He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him.

Setting the camera down Lauren kneeled in front of her husband. "Tim, you okay?" she asked concerned he might have hit his head or damaged something in his back.

"Yeah… I'm fine. I just need to lay here for a second and catch my breath. I think I'm going to need some ibuprofen later… shit!"

"And a huge bag of ice, and I think I got something ten times better than ibuprofen," Lauren whispered in his ear. A smile appeared on his handsome face. He couldn't wait for tonight.

Speed finally managed to catch his breath and sit up. Lauren helped him stand up, and at the same time she began to feel nauseous. Lauren swallowed the unpleasant feeling. "Christina, open the little door in the bench area so he can sit down, please." Christina hurriedly walked into the bench area; she couldn't find the little door. "All the way to your left. Just push it open." Lauren knew this rink well from her hockey days.

"Right. Sorry. My mind isn't really working at the moment. Do you know if she suffered at all?" Christina asked opening the door.

"I don't know that's the medical examiner's job. Did you hit your head or anything?"

Speed cringed as he sat down on the bench. "No, I don't think so just my back. Ugh, damn it that hurt!"

"I'm going to lift your shirt up so I can take a look," Lauren said gripping the ends of his dress shirt.

"Be careful. It hurts like hell," he said as Christina sat down next to him and waited in silence.

She knew that once the scene was cleared and people were allowed back in Mario, her coach would have her practicing for the Smuckers Junior Stars on Ice in a four months; her next competition was in a couple weeks in this very arena.

Christina didn't think she would be able to compete without, Allison. They had met on their first day of skating lessons. 'Maybe I should take a break from all of this. High school is ending and I haven't even applied to any colleges. I want to go to college, but I love ice skating. It's a passion of mine,' she thought to herself as she watched Lauren make sure her partner was alright; she didn't know they were married.

Lauren looked back at Christina. She could hear the thinking gears turning in her head. Lauren hoped that she would be okay in the end. Seeing someone so close to you be taken away wasn't an easy thing to get over. If anything happened to Speed, her kids or her family she would be devastated.

"Did someone call for a Medical Examiner," Dr. Alexx Woods said entering the arena with her kit in hand.

Lauren and Speed smiled. "Yes, you are needed, Alexx," Lauren said standing up. Speed did the same but cringed feeling pain in his back.

"Babe…" he said trailing off. He never called Lauren babe at work.

"You must be in some severe pain," Lauren said. He never called her that at work.

"What's the matter, Timmy?" Alexx asked seeing him rub his back.

"I just fell on the ice, but I'm fine. Let's just do what needs to be done and get out of here," Speed said placing his left hand on Lauren's lower back.

"Tim, you don't look fine," Alexx said in a motherly tone.

"He's not fine. He fell hard on the ice, and his whole back is basically black and blue and purple," Christina chimed in.

"Let me see, Timmy," Alexx said getting worried about him. "And who is this young lady?" She smiled.

"Christina Bart. She found our vic," Speed said. "And I'm fine really. If it will make you feel better you can look after we get back to the lab. Time is ticking, Alexx."

Yelina soon arrived and began to question Christina while Lauren was finishing up with Alexx; Speed searched the surrounding areas. They would have to come back tomorrow morning and search the entire rink.

"Okay baby, tell us what happened to you," Alexx said examining Allison's lifeless body.

Alexx immediately noticed a bullet wound to the head. As she continued to look over the young girl's body she found nothing else; her body was clean. There was not one defense wound, and there was no sign of trace on her body; no skin in her neatly manicured fingernails. "Single gunshot wound to the head. That's what took this beautiful angel from us. She was way too young."

"You can say that again Alexx. Sometimes I don't know about this job. It's so… so depressing. Especially with cases like this," Lauren said kneeling down next Allison.

Alexx looked over at Speed. He wasn't moving too well. "What happened really, Lauren?"

Lauren let out a small laugh. "He slipped on the ice. It's actually pretty slippery right now. Looks like the maintenance people haven't been taking care of it too well." Lauren thought that was odd, but then laughed again. "Milo isn't going to like that his daddy can't wrestle with him on the floor for a while." Just then another rush of nausea came over her. "Ugh, this nauseous feeling needs to go away." Lauren snapped one final photo as the body haulers came to take Allison back to the morgue.

"I bet that little boy is full of energy and loves to wrestle with his daddy," Alexx said then looked up at the body haulers. "Boys be careful the ice is very slippery." They nodded. She turned to Lauren and smiled. "How long have you been feeling sick?"

Lauren sighed thinking back to when it all started. "Um like a couple weeks I think maybe less or more. I'm not sure."

"After I'm done with that stubborn husband of yours you're next."

"Alexx, it's probably just… it's probably nothing," Lauren said.

"Well I just want to check you out anyway. You are just as stubborn as him." Alexx laughed and added, "Let's just hope Milo and Ava aren't as stubborn as you two when they get older."

"I'm pretty sure it's too late with Ava." Lauren chuckled. 

* * *

><p>Speed and Lauren stepped into the hallway that led to the dressing rooms. Yelina was questioning Christina. "Yelina, why don't you take Christina back to PD," Lauren said.<p>

Just as Yelina was about to answer Mario came barging in, his face red with fury. Christina groaned. He was the last person she wanted to see.

"Christina, what have I told you about practicing on schedule," he growled at her furious.

"Look Mario, I had a personal thing to take care of this morning then I had to do running around for my parents! So back off. I'm not in the mood right now!" she shouted.

"And what was this so called 'personal thing?'" he asked putting air quotes as he said 'personal thing.'

"None of your business," she snapped. She didn't want him knowing she was dating someone. His number one rule was absolutely no boyfriends. He saw them only as a distraction.

"Sir, this is an active crime scene you can't be here," Lauren said flashing her badge. "I understand she needs to practice, but right now she can't. A murder has been committed and the arena is closed to everyone."

"She has a big competition coming up and needs to practice right now. Since she skipped her practice this morning she needs to practice immediately," he growled again as he glared at Christina.

Speed just stood there and watched. Lauren seemed to have things under control; he continued looking for any out of the ordinary. So far he had nothing except Allison's gym bag and Christina's belongings.

Lauren smirked. "Sir, I don't think you heard me right. You cannot be here. This is a crime scene and a young girl has been murdered. The rink is closed. So you need to back off!"

"Okay, maybe you don't know who she is!" he shouted pointing to Christina. "She's the top junior skater in Miami. After this year I'll make sure she's the top women's skater in Miami. She has more than enough talent to go to the Olympics. She needs to practice as much as she can. So when can she get on the ice again?"

"It doesn't matter who she is or isn't, and she can get back on the ice when we release the crime scene… Where were you today?" Lauren asked him feeling the suspicion build in her. Something didn't feel right about Mario.

"I was with potential clients. I'm not saying anything until I have my lawyer present," Mario said staring Lauren in the eyes.

"I bet you do. You can either go down to the police department on your own or I can have Detective Salas take you. It's your choice."

"Fine, I'll come in," he said with a huff. Lauren warned him, if he didn't show up she'd put a warrant out for his arrest. "When this rink is back open I want you here at four in the morning, no later. If you are, you're going to wish you hadn't been."

"Mario my best friend was just murdered! I need a damn break!"

"Christina, shut up okay, please," Lauren said getting annoyed. "Yelina take her back to PD." Christina headed back to the locker room to grab her duffel bag, but Speed had already bagged and tagged it as evidence; Yelina drove her to PD.


	3. Chapter 3

Speed met up with Lauren in the hallway. "I couldn't find anything that suggests the killer was around here. All I have is Christina's belongings and Allison's belongings. We're going to need some extra pair of hands. This place is way too big. I just hope Eric, Calleigh, and Ryan finish their cases and get out here tomorrow," Speed said placing his hand on the small of Lauren's back. "You okay?" He noticed she looked a little frustrated.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just tired and want to go home. How are you doing?"

"I can barely move and my head is starting to hurt, but other than that I'm fine." He stole a quick kiss from his wife while no one was around. "Let's let Horatio know what's going on. Alexx find anything on the body?"

Lauren sighed. "No, but cause of death was the gunshot wound to the head. Let's hope she can find something in the autopsy."

Speed pulled out his phone, and called Horatio to let him know what was going on. Lauren decided to take a look one more time around the rink for any evidence the killer might have left. All they needed was one solid piece of evidence that would lead them to Allison's killer.

* * *

><p>Yelina escorted Christina into Interrogation Room Two. On the way over Yelina let her call her father, who happened be a lawyer. He said he would meet her as soon as possible. "Take a seat in here, Christina. I'll be right back okay," Yelina said pulling up a chair for her to sit in. Christina nodded and sat down while she waited for her father to arrive. She was scared there was no doubt about it.<p>

Christina looked up as she heard voices nearing. Her father had arrived and was talking with Detective Salas. She sighed slightly relieved, but not much. She just wanted to find out who killed her best friend, who just might be coming after her.

Yelina and Christina's father, Stewart Bart walked into the interrogation room. He immediately pulled his daughter into a hug; she began to cry the tears she had been holding in the entire evening. She wrapped her arms around him, and held onto him tightly. He stroked her hair, and held her close to him. She was the type of person who liked to internalize her emotions and only showed them when it became too much to handle.

Yelina had grabbed a few tissues, and poured her a glass of water from the decanter sitting on a small table near the wall. Christina sat in the chair fiddling with the tissue she had been given. Neither Stewart nor Yelina said anything to her.

Yelina looked at her and kindly said, "Christina, sweetheart, I know you don't want to talk right now, but we really need you to tell us where you were all day, and what happened when you arrived at the ice rink. It's really important. I know it's going to be hard, but we need you to do this. The first forty-eight hours are the most important."

She sighed heavily and said, "I was at the airport. My boyfriend was going to visit his parents in Canada. I was there at six in the morning, and left like four hours later. So like ten is when I left. Then I headed home, and I did some running around for my parents since my little sister, Lindsay is sick with the flu. I was done by 3:30 in the afternoon. I left to go to the rink an hour later at 4:30. When I got there I went inside, and headed to the locker room to set my stuff down and get changed for practice. After I changed I grabbed my things, and headed to the rink. I sat on one of the benches not really paying attention. I got my skates out. I looked up, and saw Allison just lying on the ice. I dropped my skates, and went running back into the locker room looking for my phone to call 911. After that I sat in the locker room waiting for help."

"I need a list of the places you went to today," Yelina said placing a legal pad and pen in front of her. I'm going to have to check and verify that you in fact were where you said you were today."

"Do you really think I would kill, Allison? She was my best friend! I wouldn't do that!" Christina shouted as tears poured down her face.

The glass door opened and Lauren walked in. "Christina calm down. Detective Salas is just doing her job. You want to catch Allison's killer don't you?" Lauren said. She looked a little frazzled.

"Yes, but I still didn't do it."

"Well, you know what sweetheart we hear that all the time."

"You honestly think my daughter killed her best friend?" Stewart said.

Lauren looked him straight in the eyes. "Mr. Bart, every person that comes in here says they didn't do it."

He glared at her. "Christina, don't say anything anymore."

"Daddy, I have nothing to hide. I didn't kill Allison. She's…" Christina stopped herself. "She was my best friend I mean."

"Mr. Bart, we'll be right back," Yelina said motioning for Lauren to follow her out into the hallway, and she did. Once the door to the interrogation room was completely closed, Yelina spoke, "Lauren, are you okay? This behavior isn't like you and you look… you look like you've just pulled three doubles in a row."

Lauren rubbed her face in frustration. "I was puking up my entire lunch in the bathroom just now, I'm exhausted, and I just want to go home and be with Tim and our kids. I swear this job is so physically draining sometimes."

"You okay? Are you sick?" Yelina asked worriedly.

"I don't know what I am right now." Lauren felt like she was going to vomit again, but she swallowed it down. Yelina put a reassuring hand on Lauren's back. She knew what it was like to miss a child. She was a mom herself. Yelina had a son named Ray Jr., Horatio's nephew and son of Raymond Caine.

Without thinking Lauren said, "I just feel like I did when I was pregnant with both Ava and Milo."  
>Yelina's eyes went wide with shock. She didn't even think Lauren heard what came out of her own mouth. She didn't have time to because Lauren's son, Milo was running up to her.<p>

"Mommy!" he shouted.


	4. Chapter 4

Speed met up with Alexx in the autopsy room, her office. The pain in his back had gotten worse. He was starting to think he should've gone to the hospital to get it looked at. "Alexx, do you have anything for your boy?" Speed asked slipping on a lab coat. He winced in pain.

Alexx gave him a look. "Not much, baby. The gunshot wound to the head was the cause of death, and it was a through and through. You're going to have to go back to the scene and look for the bullet and the casing."

Speed sighed in frustration. "This case is a nightmare. I just want to go home. Do you have any good news?"

Alexx gave her friend a look of sympathy. "No Timmy. I don't. I'm sorry. Allison was clean. No defense wounds or anything. It looks like your killer wasn't even around her when she was shot."

He sighed again. "Nothing?"

"Nothing, baby. I'm sorry." Alexx frowned. "How are you doing? I noticed the pain on your face when you walked in."

Speed knew Alexx would ask him how he was. He was going to tell her the truth. She would tell him if he needed to go to the hospital and get it x-rayed. "Truthfully Alexx, it hurts like hell. It hurts every time I move."

Alexx pulled off her latex gloves, and tossed them in the trash can. "Come on lets head to the break room, and I'll take a look at it. It doesn't sound good, baby. You might need to go get it x-rayed just to make sure nothing is broken or sprained." Speed painfully removed his lab coat and followed Alexx to their break room.

* * *

><p>Lauren bent down to her son's level. "Hi baby. What are you doing here? Where's Kate and Ava?" Kate was there babysitter on days Lauren's parents couldn't watch Milo and Ava; she was also the daughter of one of their co-workers. Milo didn't respond. All Lauren could here was the sound of her son's cries. Her heart broke. "Milo, baby what's wrong?" she asked picking him up. He wrapped his arms around her neck and rested his head on her shoulder.<p>

"I don't feel good," Milo mumbled.

"You don't feel good?" Lauren said rubbing his back.

"No mommy," he cried.

Lauren sighed and saw Kate walking in with Ava, who was running toward her. "Mommy!" Ava yelled as she ran up to Lauren.

"Hi baby girl." Lauren carefully bent down to her four year old daughter's level while still holding onto Milo.

"Lauren, I'm sorry. It's just Milo wasn't feeling good and he wanted you. Then Ava kept asking for you and Tim. I had to bring them here. Also I have to leave in five minutes. Something came up and I have to leave. I'm sorry, Lauren," Kate said apologetically.

Lauren sighed. "No, it's okay. Go ahead and do what you need to do."

Yelina put a hand on Lauren's shoulder and said, "Take Milo and Ava back to the lab, and do what you need to do. I can handle the rest here. I don't think we're going to get any further with Christina and her father."

Lauren half smiled. "Thank you, Yelina."

"You're welcome. And Lauren?"

"Yeah?"

"Go take care of yourself too." With that Yelina headed back into the interrogation room and Lauren, Milo, Ava, and Kate made their way out to the parking lot.

* * *

><p>Back at the lab, Alexx took Speed back into the break room to look at his back. She was shocked to see he already had some bruising. "Baby, you did a number on your back. It's starting to bruise already." Alexx gently pressed on Speed's bare back. He cringed in pain. Alexx continued to feel around his back. It didn't seem to be too serious. "It looks like you'll make it, Timmy. It's just badly bruised. If you can, get some rest when you go home tonight."<p>

Speed let go of his shirt, and turned to face Alexx. "I don't know what the word 'rest' means, Alexx. Two kids under the age of eight. I'm always going. I can't even imagine what having a third child would be like."

"Why do you think Henry and I stopped at two," Alexx said smiling.

Speed smiled back. "Ava has been telling us she wants a sister. She said she wants to be a big sister like Milo is a big brother."

"You going to give her one?" Alexx asked.

Speed didn't have time to answer her question because he heard the sound of his daughter yelling, "DADDY!"

"Ava, baby girl what are you doing here?" Speed asked bending down and scooping her up in his arms.

"Kate brought me and Milo to mommy, and mommy brought us to you," Ava said pointing at Speed.

"Oh yeah? Where is mommy now?"

"Bathroom with Milo."

"Is she okay? Is Milo okay?"

"Milo not feeling good, daddy."

Alexx took a seat on the sofa and watched Speed interact with Ava. There was nothing more precious than a father daughter moment. She loved seeing Henry with Janie. Alexx turned her attention to the entrance of the break room. Lauren walked in with Milo in her arms.

"Mommy, look I found daddy," Ava said with a big smile on her face.

"Yeah, baby I see that," Lauren said with a smile. "Okay Milo, you're going to have to get down. You're getting too heavy for me right now."

"No mommy!" Milo whined.

"Baby, listen to me, okay," Lauren started to explain, but before she continued she gave Milo a little kiss on the cheek. "I can't keep holding you. You're getting too big, love. And if you sit down on the sofa I can get you some crackers and something to drink."

Milo looked at his mother with his big brown eyes; he was the spitting image of Speed. Lauren's heart melted. "Okay mommy." Lauren set him down on the sofa next to Alexx, told her son she loved him, and motioned for Speed to come with her into the locker room.

Speed set Ava on the sofa next to Milo and followed his wife into the locker room.

When they were finally alone, Lauren wrapped her arms around Speed's neck and held him tight. "You okay, Lauren?" he asked concerned.

Lauren sighed. "Just hold me for a minute, please." Speed did as she asked and held her tight.

A few moments later, Lauren pulled away from Speed. "Thank you," she said and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'd give you a kiss on the lips, but I kind of just puked my brains out."

Speed arched an eyebrow. "Babe, you okay. When did you start throwing up?"

Lauren rubbed her face and sighed. "Today, but I don't want to talk about it right now. Do you have any singles so I can get Milo something from the vending machine?"

Speed hesitated for a moment before he went to his locker to grab a few bucks. "You think you have what Milo has? Are we going to have to take him to the doctor?"

Lauren took a seat on the bench. She was feeling queasy again. "No, I don't think I have what Milo has." Speed handed her the money, and sat down next to her. "If I have what I think I have then Milo will never have what I have. As for taking him to the doctor, I don't know. We'll have to see how it goes."

Speed wrapped his arm around Lauren's waist, and she rested her head on his shoulders. "You think you're pregnant?"

"Yeah," was all she said.

After Yelina had reminded her to take care of herself, Lauren remembered she had said she felt like she was pregnant. Lauren didn't know how she felt about that. Her and Speed hadn't even talked about having a third child. She didn't know if she was ready for this.

Speed thought back to a few moments ago when he was talking to Alexx. He said he couldn't imagine having three kids, but now that was a big possibility. In fact it was probably more real than probably. After having two kids already, Lauren knew her body well enough to tell when she was or wasn't pregnant.

"Why don't you take the kids home and get some rest. I can finish up here and get a ride home with Alexx. I think she's about to leave." He gave her a kiss on the forehead.

Lauren looked up at him and half smiled. "That sounds really good right now."

The two got up and headed back into the break room, where Ava was sitting quietly at the little round table in the right corner, coloring on some paper, and where Milo was cuddled up with Alexx on the sofa.


	5. Chapter 5

Milo's head popped up when he heard his parents enter the room. He wiggled out of Alexx's lap and quickly walked over to his mom and dad. Milo wrapped his little arms around Lauren's lower waist. "Can we go home now, mommy?" he asked.

Lauren bent down to her son's level, and Milo held out his arms. He wanted to be picked up. "In a little bit, baby," she said picking him up. He wrapped his arms around Lauren's neck, and rested his head on her shoulder. "What do you want to drink, baby?"

Milo lifted his head up and pointed to one of the bottles of water. "Can I have some Goldfish too?" he asked.

"Yeah. Are you hungry now?" Milo nodded his head. "Are you feeling a little better?" Milo shook his head no. Lauren sighed as she shifted Milo to the left side of her body. He was starting to get heavy again. She gave back the money to Speed so he could get the water and Goldfish. Lauren went and sat down on the sofa. Milo moved into a more comfortable position on his mother's lap and snuggled into her.

Speed handed Lauren the bottle of water and bag of goldfish, and sat down next to his wife. He felt like his back was being ripped apart. All he wanted to do was go home and go to bed.

Lauren opened the bag of goldfish and handed it to, Milo. Goldfish was his all-time favorite snack just like his mom's. Then Lauren opened the bottle of water just enough to crack the seal. Ava was still busy drawing at the table. She was in her own little world.

"Here, baby you want some water now?" Lauren asked just as Horatio walked into the break room.

"Just keep working and let me know if you find anything, okay," Horatio said into his cell phone before ending the phone call. "Speed, Lauren, I need to talk to you two real quick. I just spoke with, Yelina."

"You guys don't have to go anywhere. I need to get back to my office. I didn't have a chance to clean up. I'll see you guys later," Alexx said getting up and leaving the break room.

Horatio waited until Alexx was out of sight before he spoke. "Yelina tells me, Lauren that you aren't feeling well," he said sitting down in one of the break room chairs.

Lauren could feel her cheeks turn red. "Uh, yeah…"

"Mommy, you okay?" Milo asked crunching on a couple goldfish.

Lauren sighed. "Yeah, baby I'm fine. Why don't you go sit with your sister for a minute while your father and I talk to Mr. Caine, okay?" Milo carefully slid off Lauren's lap and headed over to the table and sat down next to, Ava. Lauren smiled when she saw Milo sharing his goldfish with her.

"So, what's going on?" Horatio asked looking from Lauren to Speed and back to Lauren again.

Lauren could tell Horatio knew. He could read her like a book. After all, Horatio had been through two pregnancies. "I think… well, I'm 99.9% sure I'm pregnant…" Lauren said quietly. She didn't want Milo and Ava to hear. "But I don't want Milo and Ava to know yet. I just want to make sure everything is okay first."

A little smile appeared on Horatio's face. "Congratulations," Horatio said quietly. "Speed, take her home. Don't worry about the case today. Night shift is taking over, and tomorrow Eric, Calleigh, and you will be working it. Lauren, you're off the case. You and Mr. Wolfe will take any new cases that come up, okay."

"Thanks. This is a complete shock. Not really though, but it is… you know what I mean," Lauren said. "And I'm not going to lie, I'm nervous because we didn't plan for it. I don't know. I'm just so tired, and I can't really think anymore."

Horatio placed a calming hand on top of Lauren's and said, "I know you have tomorrow off, but take the rest of the weekend off. If you need more time just let me know. We can work something out. We have some extra help coming in, in the next week."

"Thanks, H. We really appreciate it," Speed said standing up. Horatio and Lauren stood up too.

"It's not a problem, Speed. Just take Lauren, Milo, and Ava home and get some rest. If you feel you can't come in tomorrow then I can put Ryan on the case." Speed nodded and thanked his boss again. Horatio said his goodbyes and left the break room.

Speed wrapped his arms around Lauren's chest, and pulled her close to him. Words could not describe how much he loved Lauren. No one is perfect, but in Speed's eyes, Lauren was perfect. In his eyes she was supermom; in his eyes she was the perfect wife, and the perfect woman for him. Lauren was his everything. "You heard Horatio. It's time to go home," Speed said kissing the nape of her neck.

"Mmm, sounds like a plan," Lauren said leaning into his chest.

"Mommy and daddy having sexy time at work," Ava said giggling.

"No, Ava. Dad was just giving my mommy a kiss," Milo said to his sister eating the last of his goldfish crackers. "They can't have sexy time at work."

Lauren and Speed looked at one another and chuckled. They loved their kids so much. "Come on guys. Let's clean up and head home, and find something to eat for dinner," Lauren said breaking free from Speed's embrace.

* * *

><p>By the time Speed and Lauren arrived home, Milo and Ava had fallen asleep. There was just something about riding in the car that always put them to sleep. Speed carefully unbuckled Ava from her car seat while Lauren unbuckled, Milo. Lauren figured Ava would be easier to carry than Milo considering the condition of Speed's back.<p>

When the family of four entered their house, they immediately smelled something wonderful. Lauren's mother, Jeannie was in the kitchen cooking dinner. "Mom, what are you doing here? I didn't see your car in the driveway," Lauren said laying Milo down on the living room sofa. Speed did the same with Ava.

"You're father dropped me off about thirty minutes ago, because my car battery died earlier today. Tim called me, and told me everything that was going on. I figured you two could use some help with dinner. I also brought a bottle of your favorite wine, sweetheart," Jeannie said holding up a bottle of Black Star Farms Cherry Wine.

Lauren took the bottle of wine and said, "Thanks mom, but I think I'll have to have some later on. Not in the mood for wine right now." Lauren was thankful Speed hadn't said anything to her mom about the pregnancy. She wasn't ready.

"I thought we could have some tonight with your favorite dinner. I made homemade macaroni and cheese with one of your favorite salads, and I cut up some veggies for, Ava. Also, I brought over some homemade chicken noodle soup for, Milo. Tim said he wasn't feeling well."

"We'll have some tomorrow night, Jeanie. We're just not in the mood for wine tonight," Speed said placing his hands on Lauren's shoulders. "It's been a long day to the point where the wine isn't even needed. Just a good dinner and a hot shower will be good enough."

"Ah, I see. Not a problem. You two head upstairs with the kids and get cleaned up. Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes." With that, Jeannie went back to making dinner while Lauren and Speed took their kids upstairs to get ready for dinner and bed.


	6. Chapter 6

Speed slowly sat up in bed. His back was throbbing. It didn't matter which way he turned he was uncomfortable, but he wasn't going to say anything to Lauren. Him being in pain was the last thing she needed to deal with. Dealing with two kids, one of them being sick, while dealing with the fact she might be pregnant was more than enough.

"Okay… the kids are in bed. Ava went down as soon as her head hit the pillow. Milo is finally sleeping after one trip to the bathroom. I think he'll be able to make it through the night. I'm hoping it's just a twenty-four hour flu thing," Lauren said walking into their bedroom. "I am so tired. I don't even know if I have the energy to change into my pajamas." Lauren grabbed the ends of her shirt and pulled it off revealing her black lacey bra.

Speed licked his lips. "You don't need them. Just come to bed," he said patting her spot of their bed. Sitting up was starting to get uncomfortable for Speed, so he decided to try and lay on his side. As he turned to his side, his whole back felt like it was being stabbed with a hundred knives. "Shit, that hurts."

Lauren furrowed her eyebrows. "Tim, you sure you're okay?" she asked grabbing a pair of pajama pants and Speed's old Columbia University t-shirt. She quickly slipped them on and climbed into bed next to her husband.

"I'm fine, Lauren." She gave him a look. "The last thing you need to be doing is worrying about me," he added placing his hand on her belly.

Lauren looked down at his hand, and put her hand on top of his. She smiled. "I know, but I'm your wife. I love and care about you. It's my job to make sure you are okay."

Speed leaned over and gave Lauren's lips a kiss. "True, but I'm your husband, and I love and care about you. It's also my job to make sure you are oaky too. You've done way more than you should have tonight." He kissed her lips again.

"Point taken, but you should really take something for you back. Even if it helps just a little bit. You want some Ibuprofen?"

"If we have some up here. If not don't worry about it. I'll get some in the morning."

Lauren pulled back her covers and got up off their bed and headed into their bathroom. "We have some in our bathroom. I bought a bottle yesterday."

Speed closed his eyes for what felt like just a few minutes, but was in fact almost fifteen minutes. He had been in such a deep sleep, that when he woke up Speed had no idea where he was or what time it of day it was. He sat up slowly looking around the room. He was in his and Lauren's bedroom. Where was Lauren? Speed called out to her. "Lauren? Babe, where are you?" No response.

Fearing something was wrong he got out their bed and headed to their bathroom. He poked his head in but Lauren was nowhere to be found. "Maybe she went to check on the kids," he said to himself as he walked out into the hallway. He quickly checked Ava's room, but Lauren wasn't there. He quickly checked Milo's room, but she wasn't there either. Speed's heart started to beat a little faster.

Upon hearing footsteps behind him, Speed turned around. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was Lauren. "There you are."

Lauren chuckled. "Where else would I be, silly? I think the combination of your back pain and being tired is getting to you," she said walking toward him. Lauren wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tight. "Come on, let's head back to bed. I got you some Ibuprofen and a bottled of water. I also have something to show you. I found an extra pregnancy test in the bathroom drawer."

Speed followed her into their bedroom. "Is it still good? It's been over four years since you've had it." Lauren laughed. "What?"

"Babe, it's not medicine or food. It's a test." She handed him a couple Ibuprofen pills and a bottle of water before getting back in bed. Speed quickly took the pills and slid back into bed as well.

"So, what does the test say?" Speed asked rolling onto his stomach. This was the only position he was the most comfortable in.

Lauren turned to him and smiled. She cupped one side of his face and gently ran her fingers over his prickly facial stubble. "Well… depending on how far along I am and if the test is right, we'll be a family of five in about eight and half months."

Speed smiled, took her hand in his, and said, "Wow, a family of five. How do you feel about that?"

So many thoughts were running through Lauren's mind. "I'm not really sure, Tim. I'm a whole bag emotions and thoughts right now. Of course I'm happy, but I'm also scared and unsure. We definitely didn't plan on a third child. It's going to be a lot more work and money. That's just the start of it."

Speed switched from lying on his stomach to his side. He rested his free hand on Lauren's stomach. "I agree with you, Lauren, but we will figure it out. We have your parents and my parents. We have Horatio, Eric, Ryan, Alexx, and Calleigh too. It'll be okay."

Lauren smiled. "I love you so much." She leaned in a stole a quick kiss. "You always know how to make me feel better."

"I love you," he said wrapping his around Lauren and pulling her close to him. "Let's get some sleep. It's been a long day."

"Agreed." Lauren snuggled up even closer to Speed and they soon fell asleep.


End file.
